Granite Stripe

10 Things To Do During a Rain Delay

Ugh! For the first time in recent memory, drivers from the Sprint Cup Series are in Loudon for a test session. In general, NASCAR doesn't allow testing at tracks where the series races, but the test is for Goodyear to work on its tires, so it needs to run on actual tracks for accurate results. New Hampshire Motor Speedway was selected as one of the lucky four tracks to host this event!

Of course, after three beautiful sunny days, it's pouring buckets of rain today, as the tire test is set to get underway. As the rain continues to fall steadily and the radar shows no signs of clearing up soon, we're just forced to sit and wait for the cars to get on track.

It's likely that they won't make it on track today at all and have to wait until tomorrow for what had been scheduled as the second of the two-day test. In the meantime, here's a list of some ways to keep ourselves busy.

1. Check Weather Reports

There's no entity more optimistic in sports than a race track. If the chance of precipitation drops from 100% to 80%, that means there's a 20% chance that it will stop raining! (If a driver entered every race with a 20% chance of winning, he'd win about seven races a season.) Nothing drives optimism more than searching multiple weather sites with the hope that one will provide encouraging news.

We're looking for that shining light in the sky so much that we retweeted @ashley_herrick's report that it was "currently not raining in NY...hopefully dry weather moving ur way!" Hmm, no rain in New York? That means in about 3-4 hours, there's a possibility that if we happen to be in line with that specific section of weather, it might not be raining, right!?

2. Tweet

As previously stated, we've spent a lot of time on Twitter this morning. Given, we're always kind of on Twitter, but nothing seems to blow it up more than bored NASCAR fans. Clue in to a race on Twitter sometime. You'll notice that people tend to have a lot more to tweet about when the race isn't going than when it's under green. When you run out of things to do, some people twiddle their thumbs, some people whistle, NASCAR people tweet.

3. Look Out the Window

I have a new office space with a great view out the window. Once I'm done checking every weather report and tweeting about it, it's time to see if maybe my elementary meteorologist skills can tell me something to contradict the weather report. Unfortunately, when I can see the water flowing like a stream through the parking lot and the moisture getting pulled up off the road to a height taller than the car that's pulling it, that just confirms it's still raining.

4. Respond to Facebook Comments

The refresh button has gotten a workout on the Facebook page as I try to see if we have any new notifications in regards to comments on our updates or posts on our wall. The "Like" button has also been overused, as I'd hate for any fan to feel like their hopeful comment about the weather clearing up wasn't noticed. We need all the good karma we can get!

5. Delete Emails

Between the junk mail that finds its way through the filters, the email list blasts that clutter the inbox and the 10-email conversation with a co-worker yesterday that could have been hashed out in a 30-second walk to and from his/her office next door, there's a lot of stuff that doesn't need to be there. The "save it for a rainy day" mantra comes to fruition!

6. Eat

It's hard to lose weight when the weather's lousy. Not only will it prevent me from getting some exercise outdoors, but it promotes the eating of comfort foods. It also doesn't help that I got a new M&M's Golf dispenser on my desk today and filled it with jelly beans. It sits right next to the M&M's Racing Team dispenser that's giving out Coconut M&M's!

7. Make a To-Do List

While bad weather has been shown to lower motivation, the lack of productivity is a great way to build up a to-do list! You know all those things you don't feel like doing? What better way to procrastinate than spend about 10-15 minutes writing them all down on a sheet of paper!? Just tell your boss that you're organizing your thoughts; that's a valid excuse.

8. Surf the Internet for News

Who are we kidding? Tuesday in NASCAR is like an important religious holiday in the Holy epicenter of that religion; there's nothing going on! (Not even a tire test, apparently.) This task has a way of getting stretched into simply: surf the internet, period.

9. Write a Blog Post

When you've officially run out of work-related ways to occupy yourself, it's time to tell everyone about it. What better way to stay mentally tuned in without exerting significant mental capacity than blogging?